MovieChat Forums > Flatliners (1990) Discussion > Joel Schumacher's obsession with smoke a...

Joel Schumacher's obsession with smoke and lights...

posted 9 years ago by daughterofolaf
5 replies | jump to latest

It's noticeable in a lot of his movies but it's truly irritating in this one. Almost every scene has either one or some combination of the following: flashing strobes/lights, neon lights, totally not subtle smoke machines, that effect that looks like the reflection of water on the walls even when there is no water anywhere, gel-covered lights, and in most of the scenes it makes no sense to even have these things.

I am fully aware that some of it has a meaning or symbolism but certainly not all of it. It's like being visually accosted for an hour and a half. The smoke machines are ridiculous in this movie.

Dick, I am VERY disappointed.

[–] Betta_have_my_donutz 9 years ago

Agreed, like the purple lights when they were driving across the bridge towards the end. I mean seriously wtf!

[–] CapitanHowie 8 years ago

Also gotta love how every couple walking on a city street at night apparently JUST missed the rain-shower. The streets are always wet. LOL

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I've never met a racist person, just a scared and uneducated person.
~~~

[–] CapitanHowie 8 years ago

I think a lot of cinematographers go WAY overboard with the fog/steam/smoke on any city street. They can be shooting in city in the summer that doesn't even have a subway and somehow, steam will be pouring out from behind cars, trees and any other place they can hide them.

I also love fields at night with fog everywhere- Karate kid comes to mind (you can actually see the fog machine pumping out smoke)

Oh - and any shower/tub scenes MUST have maximum steam. You'll have 2 people in a bathtub- the water not even running - and the entire room has steam that never goes away- are they being boiled? Look at the movie Carrie- Carrie is the only one taking a shower (in a BIG shower) and she's literally creating the steam of 10 shower on maximum hot.

I always hated that.

~~~
I've never met a racist person, just a scared and uneducated person.
~~~

[–] ELashes 7 years ago

I'm watching this now after not having seen it since it played in the theater and I noticed there are red neon lights around the doorways in the hospital hall at the beginning, when Kevin Bacon is running around. How ridiculous!

[–] Drooch (5333) 2 years ago

Thank god, Schumacher’s use of colours against black, along with judicious slow-mo, are what make his films so delicious to watch.